The Good Shepherd

Lesson #165

With this lesson we will begin the third section of chapter 10, defined by John 10:11 – 18, where Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11 ESV). Here we encounter another one of the “I AM” statements made by Jesus. Use this link to see a summary of the seven “I AM” statements. Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd, which is in contrast to what we will see when we look at the behavior of a hired hand. Jesus is good because he cares for his sheep, even in the face of great danger. When the wolves come he does not leave the sheep to be destroyed, but fights them, even to the laying down of his life for them.

Four times in this section, Jesus says he lays down his life for the sheep. Verse 11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”; Verse 15b: “I lay down my life for the sheep.”; Verse 17: “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.”; Verse 18: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” The last three we will consider when we get to those verses. But here in verse 11, Jesus is considered good in contrast to the hired hand of verse 12: “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (John 10:12 ESV). If we are the sheep, then who or what are the wolves?

Three times in John wolves are mentioned that Jesus lays down his life to save us from. First, in John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Sin is a wolf that is destroying the world and cuts us off from a relationship to God. Jesus came as the Lamb of God to offer up himself as the perfect sacrifice to draw the wolf of sin off of the world and onto himself and die in place of the sheep. Isaiah spoke of this in Isaiah 53:6 – 12, where “All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path, but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him” (Isaiah 53:6 NET) like wolves. “He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7 NET). Jesus, as the Shepherd in John 10:11, is the Lamb of God here in Isaiah and in John 1:29.

The second wolf is death and follows after sin: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). The wages of sin is death and death destroys. It does not matter who you are; your position; your wealth; your age or your sex, you will experience its devastation in your life. Death does not end what we have planned in this life and end our conscience existence. It destroys what we have planned in this life and leads us into God’s judgment. Jesus died on the cross for our sin and by rising again he defeated death. If we are in Christ we have eternal life and are free of judgment and protected from this second wolf.

The third wolf is judgment. “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 ESV). Justice requires that one die for his sin, but Jesus came and lived a perfect life and earned the right to take and drink the cup of God’s wrath, which was meant for us, by his death on the cross. By being judged for our sin, justice is satisfied and God is able to grant us mercy by pardoning our sin and extend grace to us in the form of eternal life. The death of Jesus satisfies justice and protects us from this third wolf.

Indeed, Jesus is the good shepherd to give his life for the sheep for through his death he defeated the wolves that would have overcome us; the wolves of sin, death and judgment.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your obedience to the Father, to willing come to earth as Jesus and out of your love for us, die that we might have eternal life. Lord, your sacrifice, by the shedding of your blood you established the means of our salvation and became the head of the church. Father, through our sacrifice and the shedding of our blood when necessary, the church is being extended. Father, set me free from the need to embrace safety and comfort and prepare me to be willing to sacrifice everything for my faith if called upon to do so.